


Learn to Relax

by Shugo_Ookami



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Chronic Pain, Comfort, Fluff, M/M, and its debilitating, kind of, my body locks up when i overdo it/overstress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2020-12-07 23:34:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20984255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shugo_Ookami/pseuds/Shugo_Ookami
Summary: Felix needs to relax before it's too late. Sylvain tries to help and does in his own way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> idk what this is. have it. take it. im tired of looking at it.  
i might add more to this later. i'm not too happy with how i ended it tbh and you can SEE where I got too skittish and decided to end it

Felix dropped his sword unwillingly. Literally unwillingly. His arm had given out just as he went to swing it at the dummy. Letting out a slow breath, he used his other arm to move the now shaking uncontrollably arm. 

“What the hell?” He hissed, wincing as part of his shoulder blossomed a weird pain throughout and then down his arm. He ended up shuffling over to the benches and nearly collapsed onto it, holding onto his arm tightly. The pain started radiating down his right side, starting from his shoulder and going all the way down to his ankle. It felt like his entire body was starting to lock up. He felt panic start to swell up in his chest and he frantically tried to relax and think rationally about this. Someone would be coming by soon enough, he could request assistance from them.

Except it was dinner time and any normal person would have gone to the dining hall and he was notorious for not showing up until it was almost empty of people for his own meals. Cursing quietly, Felix blew out a heavy breath as another sharp pain ran down his right side. He was preoccupied with the pain that he didn’t hear the approaching footsteps.

It wasn’t until boots were literally in his view that he reared back and looked up in surprise. That only made the pain worse and he about crumpled in on himself.

“Whoa! Felix, dude what happened?!” Sylvain quickly reached out to steady his friend upright to avoid the other falling off the bench. He did make sure to grab Felix’s left side firmly, using his other hand to gently grab at his right side. He got a vague mumble in response which made him scrunch up his face in confusion. “Can’t hear you.”

“I said,” Felix hissed, glaring at the other but it didn’t have much heat behind it as his eyes were unfocused. “Right side hurts.”

“That seems like an understatement judging from how you look right now, Felix. What happened? Did someone hurt you?” Sylvain’s eyes were roaming over his friend’s body quickly, trying to see if there were any wounds he needed to tend to. There was no sign of blood on his clothes but that didn’t mean Felix wasn’t hiding anything. “Can you lower your hand?” When Felix shook his head, Sylvain grew more worried. “Hey, I need to see if something’s wrong with your side.”

Felix looked to the ground before he grit his teeth together and slowly, so slowly, lowered his right hand down. By the time he had gotten his right arm lowered, he felt all his strength leave him and he tipped forward. He felt the other quickly steady him again and he inwardly screamed. “Let go of me.” He gnashed out, trying to push himself up but found he literally couldn’t move. Panic gripped his chest again when he realized it felt like he was paralyzed.

“Nope, I’m bringing you to the infirmary.” Sylvain expected resistance but when he felt Felix just nod into his chest, he almost let go of him. “Did you just agree?”

“Shut up. I can’t move. At all.” Felix whispered, trying to take a calm breath but he ended up wheezing instead.

“Hey hey hey, calm down.” Crouching down, the redhead got their faces level and peered into the others face. 

Felix’s eyes were glazed over, unfocused. His breathing was shallow and he seemed to be clammy. Sylvain wasn’t going to really check but the other started to shiver and he wasn’t flushed. He put his wrist up to Felix’s forehead after a moment, thinking maybe he was just sick but he didn’t feel any warmer than he was. 

“I can carry you.” He offered, looking into his eyes. “But if you say no, I’m going to have to leave to go get Manuela.” He watched the internal struggle before he felt Felix lean into him. “I’ll take that as an okay!” He carefully shifted and pulled Felix into his arms as he stood up, carrying him bridal style. There was a low groan of pain from his friend, making him look down to find Felix grinding his teeth. “Don’t lock your jaw like that. You’ll get a headache.”

“Too late.” Felix deadpanned, lifting his left hand to grip the front of Sylvain’s jacket. “Can you just go already?”

“I’ll try to be as careful as I can.”

And he really did. But stairs were nothing but jolts of pain lacing through his entire body as Sylvain climbed up them slowly. He was impressed that the taller wasn’t out of breath or looking fatigued from carrying him all this way. He was halfway to passing out when Sylvain finally made it to the infirmary, carefully moving through the door.

“Hey, Professor Manuela?” Sylvain called out as he entered, spotting the woman at the table. “Got a problem!”

“Sylvain, I swear if its-Is that Felix?!” Manuela jumped up and quickly moved over to them, trying to look at Felix while Sylvain moved to set him down on one of the beds. “Gods, what happened?!”

“He hasn’t said.” Sylvain muttered, helping his friend stay upright. “So, out with it, Felix.”

“I don’t know what happened.” Felix snapped, barely able to lift his head to glare at the redhead. “There was a pain in my shoulder and then my enter right side locked up and it hurts.”

Manuela grabbed his right shoulder, hushing him as he bit off a groan. “You might have overexerted a muscle or two.” She said evenly, lifting his arm up slowly while watching his face. “Felix, do not hide anything from me right now. I need to know what is going on and how I can fix it.”

Felix swallowed thickly before nodding. His face finally twisted up in pain as she raised his arm even higher. “Stop!” It felt like his arm was tearing off and it started to shake uncontrollably. Thankfully she slowly lowered it and he let out a shaky breath. He opened his eyes, not realizing he had shut them, to see Sylvain watching him intensely. He tried glaring at him but it was ignored promptly and he dropped it when he finally saw the others expression.

Sylvain looked thoroughly worried. He was switching between watching what Manuela was doing to keeping an eye on his own reactions. And when he let out a small yelp, Sylvain immediately reached out to rest a hand on his left hand.

Felix swore he felt him squeeze his hand but he shook it off as a tremor running through his body. After a few minutes of Manuela still poking and prodding, he felt the pain start to get to him and his vision started blurring at the edges. Manuela seemed to noticed and stopped, crouching down to check his eyes. 

“Felix, when was the last time you slept? Fully slept, not just laid in bed for a few hours before getting up again.” Manuela asked, grabbing his chin gently to tip his face up. “It seems to have been a while from the looks of it.”

Taking a moment to think, Felix ended up muttering a response. “Three days, maybe more. I can’t remember.”

“And when was the last time you had a proper meal?”

That took him a bit longer to remember but he was cut off before he could speak. 

“The last time I saw him eat in the dining hall was almost a week ago.” Sylvain sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Felix, you have got to take care of yourself. I know you’re passionate about training but dude, even you have limits.” He watched his friend try to give him a glare but he saw the expression fall before it even started. He turned to Manuela and gave her a questioning look. “So I take it he just needs rest?”

“A long one. I would suggest no training for at least a few days to give his body a reset.” She held up a hand when Felix started to argue. “You are so exhausted your body seized up from malnutrition, dehydration, and exhaustion, Felix. You will listen to my orders and you will not be seen on the training grounds for a week or so help me I will track you down and have someone confine you to you room with a guard posted out front. Do I make myself clear?”

Felix pursed his lips before turning his head to her and nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am.”

Manuela clapped her hands together with a smile. “Good! Now, Sylvain my dear? Would you mind making sure he gets to his room? And stays there for the day.”

Sylvain nodded, reaching out to help Felix stand up but the other pushed himself up without him. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Yes, you do.” Manuela retorted, rolling her eyes. “I will be letting the professors as well as your house to keep an eye on you.”

“Lovely,” Felix huffed, flexing his right hand. Whatever she had done had fixed the pain and tightness. “Am I allowed to go now?”

“Yes, but please do follow my instructions. Lectures and assignments only. No training or sparring or mock battles. I will find out.” Manuela waved the boys out as she went back to her pile of papers on her table. 

Sylvain followed behind Felix, keeping a little closer than he knew the other wanted but he was still worried about him. “So-“

“Shut up.” Felix immediately snapped, tilting his head back to look at the taller male. “And go away.”

“Now just hold on. Let me speak.” Sylvain said firmly, reaching out to stop Felix gently. “I’m bringing you to your room and then I’m getting you something to eat. Promise me you’ll stay in there while I’m gone?”

Felix’s immediate reaction was to roll his eyes before he stopped and sighed, resigned to his fate. “Sure. Whatever.” He broke free of the loose grip and started climbing the steps up to their rooms. He got about halfway up before the prickling feeling in his right side started up again. “Shit.”

“Hm?” Sylvain stopped on the step behind him, leaning forward to try and look at his face. “You good?”

“Its locking up again.” 

“Seriously?! Want me to bring you back to Manuela?” He was answered with a fierce shake of the head. “Oookaaay, what DO you want me to do?”

“To shut up. I’ve always wanted that.”

“Ha ha, very funny, Felix.” Sylvain let out a huff and then quickly scooped Felix up into his arms. He got an elbow to the chin and quickly held Felix closely to his chest. “Dude! Quit squirming or else we’ll go tumbling back down! Calm down!” As soon as Felix did calm down, he started climbing the rest of the stairs. He didn’t say a word as he carried Felix down the hall and shouldered his way into his room. As soon as he gently lowered his friend onto the bed, he stepped back and caught the pillow aimed for his face. “Felix, seriously. Calm the fuck down for just once in your life.”

Felix was red in the face, clearly unhappy with what just happened to him and he was about to aim another pillow when he hissed as he raised his arm. He let it fall before he fell back onto his bed, mumbling out something behind his arm.

“Speak up~” Sylvain hummed, raising an eyebrow with an amused smile. “Did I hear that correctly? Was that a thank you?”

“Yes!” Felix groaned, pouting now. “And now you can go away.”

“No way! I promised you dinner so yeah sure I’ll leave but only for a bit! So stay here!” And before Felix could complain some more, the redhead was bounding out the room. 

Blindly grabbing a pillow, Felix shoved it over his face and yelled into it. He was weak. So fucking weak his own body gave out on him. What the fuck was he supposed to do now about it? He couldn’t lay around and let himself lose practice with his training but he knew how strict Manuel was regarding rest and treatment. And she would definitely check in with others and the professors regarding him. He’d lost the battle.

Throwing the pillow aside, he gingerly sat up and got off the bed to change out of his uniform. It was starting to itch. He only got as far as removing his jacket, which took a lot longer with a useless arm, when Sylvain came running back into his room with a cheerful whistle.

“Got your food!” He came to a sudden halt when he saw Felix with half his shirt on. “Didn’t I tell you not to move?” 

Felix was slightly startled by how annoyed Sylvain looked. He shrugged the rest of his shirt off and let it fall to the floor. “I didn’t want to wear the uniform anymore.”

“You should have waited.” Sylvain set the food on the desk and bent down to pick up the shirt. 

“You were taking too long.”

“And you didn’t listen.”

Felix turned to face him but lost the anger he initially felt, turning back around to start removing his trousers. “Can you grab my sleeping clothes? Top drawer.” He asked quietly, leaning against his table to avoid tipping over as he toed off his pants. He managed to not fall over just as Sylvain tossed his clothes at him. He hummed a ‘thank you’ and set about putting them on but was met with the same issue when he got to the shirt. He struggled for a few moments before he felt the other come up behind him and help slid the shirt on.

Promptly ignoring the burning in his cheeks, Felix merely shifted away to sit down at his desk to start eating. When Sylvain didn’t bother leaving his room, he sighed and looked towards him. “Shouldn’t you be leaving now?”

Sylvain started, clearly lost in thought before he stared at Felix and gave him a grin. “Nah, someone’s gotta keep an eye on you after all.” He flopped down onto the bed, kicking his boots off and wiggling out of his jacket to toss it on the floor as well. He got glared at for that. “Eat up!”

Felix was close to yelling but didn’t want to encourage his friend’s behaviour and turned back around to his food. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he realized Sylvain had gotten all his favorites. He felt an odd sensation start in the pit of his stomach and he quickly brushed it off as he started eating.

The silence lasted a surprisingly long time before Sylvain broke it with a question. “Are you always that tense?”

Pausing, Felix tipped his head back and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean as in you’re so tense that your own body locked up.” Sylvain sat up, crossing his legs under him as he scrutinized Felix intensely. “When I helped you with your shirt, it confirmed it for me. You’re just tense.” He gave a slow grin and stretched with a groan. “I bet you have never had relaxed muscles in your entire life.”

“Being around you has taught me to never be relaxed.” Felix deadpanned, shifting in his chair to sit on it backwards. He did raise a point though. He really was tense and had been a lot more recently.

Sylvain perked up, happy to have Felix’s attention fully now. “You need to learn to relax.” He laughed when Felix snorted. “I’m serious! When was the last time you got a massage? Or just took a hot, relaxing bath? Alcohol helps relax the muscles too!”

“Never had a massage and i usually don’t stick around in the baths any longer than necessary. It just wastes time. I also don’t drink. What’s the point of all the questions?”

“What I’m trying to say is that you need to relax. Take a break. Let me give you a massage!”

“Absolutely not.” Felix rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Get out.”

“Noooope! Not until you at least give it a shot! Come on, we’re friends right? Let me help you out for once!” Sylvain tried to give his best kicked puppy look. He knew it wouldn’t work, especially on Felix, but he gave it a shot anyway. “Like, five minutes. Just your shoulders even! You don’t even have to get up from that chair!” He hopped up and moved behind Felix, resting his hands on top of his shoulders firmly. 

Felix immediately tensed up and shot out of the chair, knocking Sylvain back. “Absolutely not!” He repeated, angry this time as he whipped around to glare at the taller. “And do not touch me.”

“Whoa! Felix, calm down. I won’t do it.” Sylvain held his hands up defensively. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave now.” He shoved his boots back on and picked up his jacket. “Just get some rest okay?” He gave him a halfhearted smile, opening the door and slipped through it and let it click shut behind him.

Felix stayed silent, mulling over the sad tone Sylvain had as he finally left the room. Sighing heavily, he flopped down onto his bed and rolled onto his stomach to bury his face into the pillows with a groan.

They smelled like Sylvain.


	2. Chapter 2

The pain didn’t go away. Not even after three days of house arrest. Which everyone took seriously. Even people outside his house. Linhardt of all people had scolded him for being near the training grounds.

“Ridiculous.” Felix grumbled, rubbing his sore arm. He’d barely gotten through five swings before he had to drop the weapon, his entire arm shaking so badly. He was weak. 

Dropping to the bench, he let out a slow sigh and started kneading at the muscles on his arm to see if he could get them to relax even a bit so he could at least not look like an injured idiot while going back to his room. 

He started with his wrist, working his way up his arm slowly. Being told to rest had forced him to find other things to preoccupy his mind and somehow he had ended up in the library which got him looking into old medicine books. He eventually found something on massaging and tried it out. It had worked the first couple of times but it didn’t seem to remedy it so he was left annoyed and with a barely working arm.

“Weak,” He whispered, moving his thumb up his forearm. “That’s all I am.” He stopped moving his thumb and sighed, shaking his head. His head whipped up just as he heard a scuffling noise nearby and was about to jump up when he caught sight of Sylvain. He quickly dropped his right arm and moved off the bench, trying to make it look like he was cleaning up as he bent down to grab the sword.

He didn’t get very far before the practice sword was ripped out of his hand, causing him to start and glare up at Sylvain. “Unnecessary. Even from you.”

“Like you’re one to talk about being unnecessary.” Sylvain practically snapped, holding the sword out of Felix’s reach. He reached out his other hand and held Felix in place. “What if your problem, dude? Weren’t you told to take it easy?”

“And let myself get weaker? Not a chance. Give that back. I was putting it away.” Felix lurched forward to grab at it again but the other was quicker and spun out of reach, giving him a level stare. “I’m serious. I was putting it away.”

“Not like you to give up after a handful of swings.”

Felix froze, feeling his face heat up. “How long-“

“Long enough.” Sylvain sighed, walking away to out the sword in its place. “Marianne stopped me and said she had seen you walking in here.” He said it quietly, almost accusatory. And when he turned back around to look at Felix, he looked upset. “You’re going to kill yourself if you keep this up, Felix.” When Felix scoffed, he strode up to him and put his hands firmly on the smaller shoulders. “I’m not joking about this, Felix! You have everyone worried! Dedue fucking expressed his concerns about you! Dedue! Marianne has caught on! Even Dorothea came up to me about it and you know she doesn’t exactly like me! You’ve run yourself ragged. You can barely stand up. I’ve seen you nod off in class. You aren’t eating again. And now look at you, you look like you’re about to pass out! Wait,” Sylvain stopped his ranting as he watched Felix’s face drained of color. “Fe-“ He didn’t get to finish his sentence before he suddenly had dead weight against his chest. “Dammit. Fainting just to get out of being yelled at.” 

Careful not to jostle Felix too much, Sylvain was able to arrange his in his arms and carefully walked his way out io the training grounds. He managed to avoid classmates as he made the trek up to Manuela’s office and dumped Felix onto the bed. Carefully, of course. But still dumped onto it. 

Sylvain sighed as he sat down on the bed next to Felix, cautiously lifting his hand up to his head to run his fingers down his jaw gently. “You’re a big idiot, Felix. Learn to take it easy.” He muttered, pulling his hand away when he heard footsteps approaching the room. Plastering a big smile on his face, he turned to the door just as Manuela came barreling in. “Shhh!”

Manuela stopped, wide eyed before her face dropped into a frown and she sighed heavily. “Seriously?” She whispered, quietly stepping over to the bed and crouched down next to Felix. “Did he collapse?” She pressed her palm to his forehead before checking his pulse. She peeked over at Sylvain as he nodded and she hummed in thought. “He needs to be under house arrest. Legitimate house arrest.” She pulled away, tapping her foot before she stopped and stared at Felix. “He is...out cold.”

“Fainted mid sentence.” Sylvain said, reaching a hand out to tap his fingers against Felix’s cheek. When that didn’t even stir the angry swordsman, he just turned to Manuela with shrug. “Think it’d be okay if I hung out here until he inevitably wakes up in a fury?”

“Better you than me.” Manuela replied, shaking her head. “I’m going to go speak with Byleth and see if he has any insight on what is going on with Felix. If you get injured by him, stay put, I will be back later.” She turned back around to leave but glanced back just in time to see Sylvain’s face drop from his usual smile to complete concern. She smiled as she walked out, shutting the door behind her.

Sylvain inched closer to his friend and ran his fingers through his hair slowly, undoing the ponytail to start combing the knots out gently. One less tension point at least. He could get yelled at for it later. For now, he was just worried. 

It felt like an hour before Felix finally stirred, moving around on the bed slightly before he sat up slowly. Sylvain was careful not to startle him as he shifted on the bed as well. He had ended up cross legged at the end of the bed, waiting. He gave the other a smile when Felix finally realized he was there.

“Welcome back, sleeping beauty!” Sylvain said cheerfully, grinning now.

Felix, still fighting to wake up, rubbed at his face before reaching a hand to his hair when he realized it was down. “Where-“

“Right here.” Sylvain held up his wrist where he had wrapped the hair tie around. “It can’t feel good to sleep with your hair up like it is during the day.”

“So you...took it off.” Felix mumbled, rubbing at his face again. “Right. I’m-“

“Staying put.” 

“Leaving, actually.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Yes, I am.”

Sylvain moved quicker than Felix and swiftly pushed him back down. “No. You are not.” He was slightly surprised when Felix didn’t try fighting back at all. He studied the others face, his eyebrows furrowed. “Dude-“

“Don’t. I know you are just going to yell at me again. I get it.” Felix grumbled, looking away from the others face.

“Obviously you don’t if you fainted.”

“I fainted?” Felix turned his head to look up at the other, shocked. 

“Yep! Scared me!” Sylvain pulled away slightly, raising an eyebrow at the odd flicker of emotion that crossed Felix’s face. “So! Go back to sleep. Manuela’s going to give you a lecture just to warn you.”

“Third one from her this week.” Felix sighed, throwing an arm over his eyes. 

At least he wasn’t trying to escape again. Sylvain continued to stare at him before he reached over and pulled at his arm to look at his face. He wasn’t met with resistance again. “Felix, what’s going on?” He got a half hearted glare in response before Felix blew out a breath. “I’m serious, Felix. You’re stupidly stubborn but this is ridiculous. You’re going to run yourself into the ground. You almost did if I hadn’t caught you earlier.” He hadn’t let go of his arm, it wasn’t being pulled away either. But he also wasn’t looking at him again. 

So Sylvain slid his hand down until their palms were touching and he entwined their fingers. It took a few seconds before Felix reciprocated but then the squeezing started. No words had to be said, Sylvain was starting to understand. 

“Will you at least take it easy for a few days? Stay in bed for at least a day?” 

Felix snorted, rolling his eyes. “What good would that do for me? If I laze about, I’ll only get weaker.”

“You won’t. Resting is an integral part of gaining strength.”

“So you do listen in class.”

“Only when I know I can use the information later to my advantage.” Sylvain grinned, using his other hand to start tracing shapes on Felix’s shin gently. “Or if its being used against a grumpy swordsman who doesn’t know when to quit.”

“I don’t know who you could possibly be talking about.” Felix quipped, his lips quirking up slightly.

Sylvain gasped, eyebrows shooting up. “Felix! Was that a joke?! You can make those!”

“Shut up. I thought I was supposed to be sleeping. Can’t sleep when there’s so much noise.” Felix went to let go of Sylvain’s hand but the other tightened his hold on it. “Syl-oof!” He groaned as Sylvain landed on top of him. “This really won’t help me sleep.”

“Yeah well too bad because I’m tired now so scoot.” Sylvain wiggled until he was now pressed against Felix’s side and wrapped his arm around his waist, still holding onto his hand. “There. Now you can sleep.”

“With you on the bed.” 

“With me on the bed! This way we can both nap.” Sylvain grinned, yelling when Felix managed to wiggle his other hand free and pinch at his side. “Ooowwowowow! What was that for?!”

“This bed isn’t big enough.” Felix said, rolling off the bed carefully, finally freeing his hand from Svlvain’s grasp. He stretched carefully before fixing his hair, heading towards the door. He stopped as he went to open it, turning to face Sylvain who was full on pouting on the bed. “Are you coming with me or not?”

“Huh?” Sylvain popped up, looking at him curiously.

“You’re dense.” Felix groaned, shaking his head. “That bed is too small. Mine isn’t.” He turned back to the door and opened it up, not bothering with waiting for the other. He did hear the small ‘ooooh’ coming from behind him just as the sound of quick footsteps followed after. 

Sylvain easily caught up and walked next to him, sneaking his hand back into Felix’s. He felt the other tense before relaxing again, feeling giddy at that small reaction. “So-”

“Speak and you don’t get any further than these stairs.” Felix quipped, taking the steps up to the second floor dorms easily. He was still exhausted, his feet feeling like they were dragging through molasses. He heard the low chuckle and chose to ignore it as they finally made it up the stairs. He actually had to stop and take in a slow breath, only for it to leave him in a rush as Sylvain opened the door and pick him up in a smooth movement. “Hey!” He tried to struggle but he was held firmly in Sylvain’s arms, promptly carried into the room. The door slid shut behind them with a click. “You really are-”

“Terrible. I know. You tell me on a weekly basis.” Sylvain said happily, gently setting Felix down on the bed. “You could barely make it up those stairs, Felix. I was gonna let you get as far as you could without help but you are bodily exhausted. It is time for a nap. A good, long nap.” He pulled off his jacket and tossed it onto the desk, ignoring the others complaints as he did so, tugging off his boots next. “Incom-wah!” He sputtered as a vest was tossed into his face. Laughing, he set it on the desk as well before he turned back to the bed. Only to find Felix curled up under the covers already. “Share some space! Jeez! You’re tiny enough so scootch!”

Felix just stared at him, the blankets hiding the sly smile that was forming. “Why should I? You’re loud, take up too much space and a blanket hog.” 

Sylvain gasped, putting a hand to his heart. “Felix! I am not loud!” He quickly hopped up onto the bed and wiggled around the other until he was comfortable, keeping Felix on the inside of the bed. “There! Now I can’t hog the blankets.” He whispered, looping an arm around his waist gently. He pressed his palm flat against his upper back and dug his fingers in lightly. He could feel the knots under his fingertips, it almost made him frown.

Sighing, Felix tipped his head forward until he had it pressed against Sylvain’s neck. “I tried the massage thing you mentioned.” He mumbled, feeling his eyes slipping shut. Sylvain just hummed in response, waiting for him to continue. “It doesn’t seem to work when the person needing it is doing it to themselves.”

Sylvain smiled slowly, digging his fingers in a little more. “Is that a request, Fraldarius?” He felt the sigh against his neck and grinned widely, slowly running his hand up and down Felix’s spine while rubbing small circles. “Maybe later. This isn’t the best position for giving them.” He did feel him relax just a bit though against his hold and knew it was working even just a bit. He was surprised to hear Felix had even tried something like that though. It almost made him proud of the other. “Remember when we were kids-“

“Sylvain.”

“And we used to huddle up under the covers in the winter? Or when we were hiding from our parents?”

“You used to get scolded because you were older and should know better.”

“Right! It was so unfair! But I do remember that there was a trick to get you to relax quickly.”

“What?” Felix pulled back to look at Sylvain, his brow furrowed. “I don’t remember that.”

“Because you would fall asleep almost instantly.” Sylvain smiled softly, an earnest smile.

It made Felix’s face heat up a bit. And it got worse when Sylvain’s fingers slid up into his hair and started to press slow, firm circles into his scalp. He had to fight to keep his eyes open now. “Syl,” He cut himself off with a yawn. “Dammit.” He grumbled, his head dropping back against Sylvain’s neck. “I don’t remember this at all.”

“I already said why. Now hush. Go to sleep.” Sylvain murmured, continuing his slow movements as he felt Felix’s entire body go lax against him. It wasn’t long before he heard the quiet snoring. “Just like when we were kids.” Sighing, he pressed his lips against the top of Felix's head softly before just resting there. 

Felix woke up later in the night, surprised to find the room bathed in black. It hadn’t been that long had it? It was barely afternoon when he was shoved into bed. Yawning quietly, he tried to sit up but found he was trapped by Sylvain holding onto him tightly. Staring at the other in surprise, his mind trying to catch up, he sighed before he settled back into the embrace. 

It wasn’t until he realized how warm he was before he noticed that the blanket was wrapped around him more than it was around Sylvain. 

“Hm, so you aren’t the blanket hog.” Felix muttered, trying to fix the blanket without waking the other up. He failed though as Sylvain smiled.

“I am loud though.” Sylvain whispered, still smiling. 

Felix only lightly smacked his arm before settling back down as he got the blanket wrapped around them. 

That didn’t stop his own smile forming on his lips even as he fell back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I added some more! This time including a massage!

“So have you picked a night when you’ll let me give you a massage?” Sylvain had practically cornered Felix after catching the other leaving the training grounds far too late at night.

“Why are you here?” Felix sighed, crossing his arms as he stared at Sylvain with a raised eyebrow. 

“Looking for you. Weren’t you told to take it easier even with the all clear?” Sylvain’s tone held a small accusatory hint to it. “I was looking for you.”

“Out here?”

“I knew you’d leave eventually.”

“Could have joined me. You need the practice.”

“Ouch!” Sylvain laughed, reaching a hand out to brush his fingers along Felix’s jaw. When he didn't get pushed away, he gently cradled his face. “How long were you in there?”

“Lost track after two hours.” Felix finally shrugged him off and started walking.

“Before or after dinner?” Sylvain easily caught up with him, bumping against him lightly. He was testing his balance and wasn’t surprised when Felix was slightly thrown off. “I didn’t see you at dinner.”

“It was after I grabbed something to eat. Quit mothering me.” Felix tried getting ahead but was jerked back by the grip on his wrist. Sighing heavily, he looked back and was startled by how angry Sylvain looked. “I wasn’t over doing it. I promise.”

“You were in there for hours. How am I supposed to believe that? Was anyone there with you?” A shake of the head from Felix and Sylvain only tightened his grip. “So no one to tell you to take a break or to catch you if you ended up hurt again. Felix-“

“Shut up would you.” Felix gently pried his hand off, failing when he hand was gripped instead. “I didn’t over do it.”

“Then why are you limping?”

Felix bristled, tensing up before he sagged slightly. “Tripped. It’s nothing serious.” He wouldn’t look at the other, chewing on his cheek.

“Sure it isn’t.” Sylvain muttered, stepping closer. “You’re going to end up sick again.”

“I will not. I left earlier than I usually do. Happy?”

“I’d be happier if you’d stop doing these things.”

“If I stop, I get weak. Weakness means death.” Felix snapped, pulling his hands free and brusquely walking up the stairs to their rooms. “You should take that advice.” He unlocked the door and slipped inside.

Sylvain quickly shouldered in after him and shut the door behind them quietly. “You honestly think taking just a day’s break will end with death? Seriously? I know you’re stubborn but that’s a bit pessimistic, Felix.”

“Or smart.” Was the biting reply as Felix started to change out of his uniform. “Are you staying or leaving?”

“Staying.” Sylvain replied immediately, catching the extra nightclothes that were tossed at him so he could change as well. “And you never answered me.”

“About what?” Felix was undoing his hair to brush out the knots he had acquired while training. When it was silent for too long, he turned to look at Sylvain who was watching him intently while he brushed his hair. “Hey-“

Sylvain startled, giving him an easy grin. “The massage!” He got a ‘tsk’ in return and watched the swordsman turn back around to the mirror. “Feeelllliiiiix, pllleeeaaassseee?” He was pouting now and fighting back a laugh when he saw the red creeping up Felix’s ears. “Are you really that opposed to me touching you?”

“It’s not that.” Felix quipped back instantly, feeling even hotter in the face than he was before. “And don’t word it like that.”

“Then what is it? I really do just want to help you out, Felix. You’re in pain and I don’t really like seeing you like this all the time.” Sylvain’s tone had turned serious, his face a carefully controlled expression. “Look, I know you are probably fed up with me and my actions all the time but you make me worry about your well being a lot.”

_I’m afraid I’ll like it more than what should be appropriate_ Felix thought bitterly as he outwardly sighed and looked at Sylvain again. “If I...If I let you do this just once-Just let me finish my sentence first here,” He held up his hand quickly to stop the other from going forward with speaking. “Will you drop it if I let you do this? Just one time.”

“I promise.” Sylvain straightened up with a happy sort of wiggling motion.

Felix closed his eyes and let out a slow breath before opening them again only to roll them immediately. “Wipe that disgusting grin off your face. You look like more of an idiot than usual.” He thought about chucking the hair brush at his friend but thought better of it when he realized Sylvain might not let him have it back and he still had a few knots he needed to brush out. He took his time finishing up with his hair, feeling nerves start to creep in now that he finally realized he had agreed to let Sylvain do something that might bring forth some feelings he did not want to deal with tonight out to the foreground. 

But he couldn’t procrastinate for much longer before Sylvain finally came up behind him and gently took the brush from his hand which had stopped at some point. “You know, you don’t have to let me do this if you don’t want to.”

“I never said-”

“No, you didn’t say anything. You’re body language on the other hand is telling a different story.” Sylvain looked at him through the mirror. “You’ve been staring off into space for five minutes now and stopped brushing your hair about seven minutes ago. If it makes you that uncomfortable, we can just go to bed instead?” He shrugged, giving Felix a lazy smile. 

“Don’t give me that fake smile.” Felix muttered, spinning around to look at the other in the eyes. “I trust you.” He pulled the brush back out of his hand to set it on his desk before he moved over to the bed. When Sylvain didn’t follow him, he peeked back to him and raised an eyebrow. “Are we doing this or not?”

Sylvain blinked rapidly before he quickly moved over to the bed and gently pushed Felix down onto it. “First off, you can’t just say that to me and not expect my brain to overload. Second off, get comfortable. We’re going to be here a while.”

“I was planning on sleeping here so yeah, I figured we’d be here for a while.” Felix said, his lips quirking up slightly at his own joke as he dodged a hand coming to poke at his face. “Well?”

“Yeah yeah, hold on.” Sylvain just stared down at Felix on the bed. He had laid down on his stomach, folding his arms under a pillow he was resting his head on. Swallowing thickly, he carefully climbed onto the bed and straddled Felix’s thighs. He felt him tense under him and he shifted slightly so he wasn’t as on top of him as he was before. “Now this might be a hard thing to do, but you need to relax.”

Felix snorted, his shoulders shaking slightly before he turned his head slightly so he could be heard. “Isn’t that the whole point of this?”

“It is but it will be easier if you at least try because it might hurt a lot more otherwise.” Sylvain explained, dipped down to rest his hands on the other’s lower back. He carefully dug his fingers in and pressed them down as he moved his hands up his spine and over his shoulders. The first hiss he got from Felix was expected and he kept moving his hands, keeping the same pressure throughout until he found a particularly tense spot. That was when he focused the pressure entirely and worked his fingers in slow circles to ease out the knot he had found. Well, more like knots he had found. “I didn’t think it was possible for someone to be this tense but I suppose you would be the one person out there that could do it.” Sylvain murmured, keeping focus on his work. 

Felix merely waved a hand in response, too focused on trying not to make any embarrassing sounds. But damn it felt heavenly to finally have that spot stop _hurting_. And all it was was just some tension? That seemed improbable but there it was. He didn’t move an inch until he noticed Sylvain had stopped. He picked his head up and tilted it to search for the other and found him shifting around slightly on the bed. When they caught eyes, Felix felt his face heat up for some reason and he quickly buried it back down into the pillow. 

He ignored the amused chuckle he could hear spilling from Sylvain’s lips.

But he couldn’t suppress the shiver that went down his spine because of it.

The night went on. Sylvain spent what felt like hours working out every single knot he came across, making Felix boneless and liquid in his hands. When he felt that he had done his job on the other’s back, he tried to get him to flip over so he could work on his arms but was met with resistance. “C’mon, Felix. You’re arms are probably the worst of it all. With the way you grip your sword they can’t be free of some sort of pain.”

Felix just shook his head, his breathing a little stuttered into the pillow. He needed a minute. Maybe more than just a minute. He felt Sylvain try to roll him over again and he promptly clung to the sheets in defiance.

“Dude, don’t make all my hard work go to waste. Don’t tense up again like that.” Sylvain gently pushed at his back into the bed a bit more. “I can work on them like this if you really want to stay on your stomach.” He scooted around so he was sitting next to Felix instead of straddling him and lifted up his right arm to start working on it. As soon as he felt that one go limp in relaxation, he shifted over his friend to do the same to his left one. Now he knew there was going to be no way he was getting Felix to turn over at all. That was fine with him, he was still going to stay the night in his room though. Even if it meant he had no space on the bed. 

Sylvain let Felix’s arm drop to the bed and he let out a happy sound. “All done! Feel any better?” He knew the answer. Could see the answer in the way that Felix hadn’t moved in about ten minutes now and was breathing evenly. “Did you fall asleep?”

“Almost.” Felix rasped out, turning his head to look at Sylvain. He raised an arm slowly and gently put his hand on the other’s chest. “Thank you.” His hand slid down and he retracted it to nuzzle back into his bed.

Sylvain was stunned and now slightly frustrated. How dare Felix act like that now of all times. “Right. Uh. You’re welcome.” He continued to stare down at what was now a sleeping swordsman and tried to come up with a plan to get them both under the blankets without potentially waking him up and causing a commotion. He managed to do it somehow and had carefully arranged the other so he was hopefully comfortable under the blankets in the end. 

They ended up facing each other and Sylvain wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss Felix. He was better than that though and no way was he going to just kiss the other without him being awake. He did however lean forward and press his lips against his forehead, feeling it smooth out at the action.

“Missed a spot.”

**Author's Note:**

> This got so long. It wasn't supposed to be this long I swear
> 
> Thanks for reading! Find me over on twitter [@Shugo_Ookami](https://twitter.com/Shugo_Ookami)


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